New Bahrain campaign to stop parents quarrelling

Manama, April 7, 2014

A campaign to stop parents arguing in front of their children has been launched in Bahrain.

The Eshraqaat initiative is being spearheaded by family therapist Mohammed Al Sayed, who says adults often underestimate the impact their rows have on children, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

It is already trending on social media sites under the hashtag #keepmeawaybh and aims to raise awareness of the psychological problems that children could face.

"It can cause psychological issues such as insomnia, anxiety, depression and fear of the dark," said Al Sayed.

"It can also affect them in the future. Some people, but not all, will recreate the same tableau they saw when they were younger in their own families."

The campaign features videos, photographs and art that draw attention to the issue and around 10 volunteers have submitted work, including a cinematographer, producer and a sound engineer.

However, more people are being encouraged to join the movement.

"The purpose of the hashtag is to spread the work through people sharing their ideas together," said Al Sayed.

"Anyone who has artistic or photographic ability is welcome to join in as well."

The initiative has produced three videos in the past, the first of which was realised in 2012 called Let The Argument Stay Away.

"Feedback wasn't strong at the beginning because of limited social media sharing," he added.

"Now it's better because it's being shared more through the hashtag. We've seen a great response, especially since we managed to get a segment aired on Bahrain TV."

The hope is that people will see materials shared under the hashtag and then make others aware.

"We want people to look at the materials and send it on to people who perhaps need to see it," said Al Sayed.

The current campaign will continue until the middle of next month and in future the initiative plans to tackle a different topic every year.

"We have two more projects and photographs we still haven't released," said Al Sayed.

"We're even using cartoon characters to gain attention.

"We put our team together by choosing talented youth who are very capable in their fields.

"Some people have talent, but they don't have anywhere to invest it.

"We told them what we wanted and they worked with us and took part in the drive." - TradeArabia News Service